


A Field of Poppies

by Crazyhotsoup



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Afterlife, Gay, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, People are happy in the afterlife, Redemption, Sad Fluff, Self-Indulgent, after his death in the first game, mlm, morston, they are just the cutest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23558275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyhotsoup/pseuds/Crazyhotsoup
Summary: After John is shot in the first game he is met with a surprise.
Relationships: John Marston & Arthur Morgan, John Marston/Arthur Morgan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 59





	A Field of Poppies

**Author's Note:**

> I felt sad after watching a lot of fanmade trailers for rdr2, so I decided to write a story that random comment inspired. I wanted to write a self-indulgent fic that made me feel bittersweet, I think I accomplished that. If you guys want more of this story I can write more.

Relief. That's all John felt as nearly two dozen bullets impacted with his body. His gun dropped out of his hand as he stood still. All the worries and responsibilities had left his mind as he stood there, heaving ragged wet breaths. Jack had gotten away with Abigail and John was finally free of the horrible Pinkerton's claws. They couldn't force him to kill his friends, his brothers anymore. He was free. As John fell to his knees he saw a figure in the distance. The man who oversaw his punishment and repentance, Agent Ross. The bastard had a smile on his face, and John didn't care anymore. His boy would have to grow up without a daddy, but he never would've been a good role model anyway. With one last breath, John fell backward and let go. 

John came too in a bright field of poppies. His first thought was that he must have miraculously survived the execution. 

"What the hell?" John stood, taking in his surroundings. The area was a field full of poppies, and John could see a lake in the distance. There were no roads so he decided to walk towards the lake, as he got closer a shack appeared in his vision. The shack came out of nowhere, and he nearly ran face-first into the wall. 

"Fuck!" John stumbled and wobbled for a second before finding his footing. John called out as he walked around the building. 

"Anyone here?" He had caught sight of a door and rapped his knuckles against the door. There was no answer. When he tried the handle, miraculously, it turned. John contemplated letting himself into the building for a minute, but ultimately decided he didn't have another option. As the door opened he was hit by a sense of Deja Vu. The room was small and only held a table and a stove, but he thought he had seen this place before. John examined the room. It was small and a painting hung above the door. Before John could comprehend what he saw, a voice called out. 

"You like it?" John spun around to see none other than that strange man. "I painted your friend. He's quite the character." The man stood and walked towards John, he extended his hand. "I've never formally introduced myself. I am Judgement, I was there to oversee the trail that was your life. Seeing as you are dead I guess I have to make my decision. You know, many think that just because you kill, you're going to suffer eternal damnation, but it isn't always black and white, as I'm sure you know. I was stumped with a couple of your friends but I think my decisions were right, wouldn't you say, John Marston?" John was baffled at what this man was saying. 

"I'm sure your decisions were correct." John honestly had no idea what the man spoke of, and he didn't want to anger him. 

"Sure. I've watched you kill, I've watched you help the damned, seen sacrifice all you had to save those that needed saving and of course, how could I forget, kill those who deserved it. It seems that you did indeed live by your old mentor's mantra." A smile slid onto the man's face. He chuckled as he turned away from John. 

"What does this mean?" John gestured to the room. He was lost, but he had begun to catch on. 

"Go outside, you'll find an old friend. Take the path, do not stray from it no matter what enticing things you see, and if you reach the end you'll be met with a bridge. Cross the bridge and then enjoy your afterlife, goodbye Mr. Marston." John left once the man stopped speaking, he didn't want to risk failing this final test. John looked around the field when his sight fell on a horse. 

"Old Boy?" He felt his nose prick, as tears pooled in his eyes. He ran to the horse, his arms wrapped around the neck of the beast and he hugged the horse. He let tears fall as he ran his hand over his horse's neck. The horse wore his old saddle and he all the gear that the horse died with. John mounted his horse when his eyes fell on the path in front of him. He began his journey. In some places the path was well worn, in others, it was barely there. Some signs pointed to trails, promising a warm bath or hot food. Many friendly folks offered to let him stay the night or offered him work, he politely declined their offers and rode on. Despite that, John hadn't strayed from the path yet. He continued on his journey when he heard a twinkling laugh to his left in front of him. He immediately recognized the source, it was Abigail. He saw a figure in the woods to the side of him. 

"John," Her voice called out to him, and it took all his strength to not dismount his horse and run to her. She continued to call after him. The farther he rode the more desperate she sounded. Her voice was raw and pained as he continued with his ride. As he rode on he felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks. He could see a bridge in front of him. It was a well-maintained bridge. It looked strong and ancient. The stone bridge stretched over a deep crack in the earth. As John steered Old Boy over the bridge he caught a glimpse of the gash. It seemed to go on forever and just glancing at it caused John's chest to tighten. He urged the horse to trot faster and once they were on the other side he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Even though the path continued, he knew that he had made it. John felt relieved and chuckled to himself. The woods around him were full of animals. He could hear various songbirds singing and spied a couple of rabbits scurrying across the path in front of him. As John continued on he was met by a fork in the road. To his right was a path lined with poppies, and to his left, there was a more well-worn road that was covered by arching branches. They created an intricate living ceiling. John felt the urge to go down the road but suddenly turned to his right. He followed the path. It was peaceful and he knew he had made the right choice. 

John followed the path up a mountain and down the other side. He never tired, and his horse didn't huff as they continued. The path led them on for what felt like a thousand years. When the path finally ended, John found himself at the gate to a farm. He looked up as he rode under the sign. 

"Crooked Creek Acres." John let out a chuckle at the alliteration. The property was sprawling. He could see a large pasture to his right and farmland to his left. An orchard blocked his view of the curving road. John continued to follow the path. As john rounded to the orchard, he spied a few farmhouses standing near each other. They weren't grand, but he was surprised at their size. John called out to a man he spotted as he hitched his horse. 

"Howdy there fellar, I'm new here and I was wondering if I could lend a hand?" The man he spoke to leaned against the railing on his porch, facing away from John. As John approached the man he turned to face John. John stopped as his breath hitched. He recognized the face of the man who he had called out to. 

"My son," The man looked shocked to see who stood in front of him. He ran to the younger man, enveloping him in a tight hug. 

"Hosea" John wrapped his arms around the older man. He could feel his father's body shaking. As Hosea pulled away he placed his hands on John's shoulders. 

"My boy, Why are you here so early? Don't you have a family to take care of? A wife to love? A son to teach?" Hosea had tears crawling down his face, but he didn't look sad, more surprised than anything. 

"I, I don't know" John's voice wavered. He hadn't thought about Abigail and John on the ride. 

"Hosea, who is it?" A woman's voice called out. The woman came out of the house and approached them. 

"Bessie, meet John Marston, my other son." Her face split open in a wide smile as she recognized the name. 

"You're the infamous John Marston that my husband won't shut up about? I'm so glad to finally meet you!" She pulled john into a hug and squeezed tighter than he thought possible. She grinned ear to ear as she ushered them into the house. "Come in, come in. I've got a pie cooling and you can tell us how you got here while we eat it." She practically shoved John into the house and shoved him into a seat. Hosea followed them into the house chuckling softly at her actions. 

"You know woman, I thought you were gentle but I guess I was wrong" Hosea sat at a seat across the table from John. As they waited John could see the house around them. The walls had various hunting trophies and there was a large bookcase next to a comfortable looking chair in the next room. John could just make out a fireplace in the next room when Bessie came out of the kitchen with a tray. It had a pitcher of something that looked refreshing and three plates with pie. 

"I hope you like lemonade Mr. Marston." She smiled at him as she set a cup of the drink in front of him, soon followed by a plate. He thanked her as she sat down next to Hosea. He took a sip of the beverage and was surprised at the taste. It was sour and sweet. 

"John", Hosea's words pulled John's focus off the magical liquid. "Please explain to us how you got here." John cleared his throat before he began to speak. 

"After Abigail, Jack and I got away from the gang, She told me she wouldn't marry me without a proper house. I didn't know which one to buy, let alone with what money, so I let her choose one. She picked out a ranch, that she hadn't even gone to see and told me to buy it. I had no idea how I was going to afford it when I remembered the money that was left behind when the gang ran off. When I went to get it I found that lockbox was still there and Arthur had given me the key so I opened it and made out like a bandit. After that, I had been riding around the states trying to find odd jobs when I ran across an odd couple. They were brother an sister, I ended up killing them and when I went through their house I found a safe behind a painting. As I was taking the money I found a drawing folded inside a stack of bills. It was one of Arthur's. So I guess I ended up with quite a bit of Arthur's money as well. When I bought the ranch I went to check out the property and Charles and Uncle turned up. We fixed the place up and that's where we lived for a long while. I did the odd job or request for some of the gang members, ran into Dutch and Micah. Thought I was gonna get the chance to shoot Micah, but Dutch was the one in the end. In the end, those Pinkertons hunted me down. They took Jack and Abigail. I had to do their bidding to get them back. Killed a lot of our brothers, Hosea. Too many. When they finally sent me after Dutch, I didn't think I would've had the balls. He was real sick Hosea, sick in the head. After he died, they let Jack and Abigail go. We moved back to the ranch. It was real nice for a long time. Then they came back for me. I couldn't run, I wouldn't have stood a chance in the fight. So I got my family out of there and took one last stand and I-" His voice hitched at the thought of his death. For the first time since waking up in that field, he looked down at his body. There were no bullet holes in his clothes and no bloodstains. 

"Well shit." Hosea and Bessie had sat quietly the whole time he spoke, but once he finished Hosea let out a deep breath. "John, you had one hell of a tough life." They began to laugh at Hosea's jest. It caused the gloomy mood in the room to dissipate. Once the laughter quieted, Hosea stood. John followed Hosea's example and stood up as well.

"I hate to seem like a bad host but there are others who you should visit. You should see him first," John knew exactly who 'he' was," His house is the cabin near the woods. If he' snot there, take your horse up the path to the stream." Hosea smiled as he walked John to the door.

"I'll come to see you again Hosea." John waved at both of them as he began to walk towards the wooden cabin. John could see a yellow house close to the cabin. As John passed the little house, he heard a boy's voice. His heart clenched at the thought of a young boy here. As John approached the cabin a boy ran up to him.

"Isaac, you leave that man alone." He could hear a woman's voice from behind the small house. She came out to greet him. "I'm sorry sir, my boy can be eccentric at times." She smiled wide at him. 

"No problem ma'am." and almost as an afterthought, John asked, " Do you happen to be the woman who goes by Eliza?" She tilted her head at the name.

"Why yes sir, Do I know you?" She fiddled with her apron as they spoke. 

"No Ma'am but I used to know Arthur." Her eyes widened. 

"Were you part of that gang?"

"Yes Ma'am, I was. I eventually got away but he would sometimes talk about you." John anxiously cleared his throat. 

"Well, I'm glad I got to meet you, Mister?"

"Marston, John Marston." She shook his hand and then she excused herself. John was a few feet away from the cabin's front door now. John rapped his knuckled against the door and stepped back. He suddenly felt nauseous. What if he didn't want to see him? After a minute of waiting, John remembered Hosea's words.

John made his way back to Old Boy and then started down the trail behind Arthur's house. The trail went on for a while. Eventually, it led to a lake. John dismounted Old Boy and patted the horse's neck. His eyes searched as he walked towards the lake. He spotted a house across the way, but eventually, his eyes fell on a man who was seated on the shore of the lake. The man was facing the lake and as John approached him he turned. 

"Hosea I thought you-" His words stopped when he recognized who had walked up to him. Arthur rose to his feet quickly. 

"Arthur-" Before John could finish his words Arthur was lifting him off his feet in a tight hug. "Arthur put me down!" He laughed and swatted at Arthur's back. When Arthur finally dropped him, a panicked look flooded across Arthur's face. 

"John, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here yet. You got away." 

"I got away for a while but they eventually came for me."

"Oh God, please tell me they aren't here. Please tell me Jack-" John cut Arthur off before he could worry anymore.

"Last time I saw them they were fine." Arthur began to speak again when John pressed a kiss to Arthur's lips. At first, Arthur was stiff but eventually, he melted into the contact. Arthur let his hand slither up to the neck of John's neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. When they parted John sucked in a deep breath. 

"God Marston, I've waited a long long time for that." A smile spread across Arthur's face when John entwined their fingers. 

"You and me both." Even though John had married Abigail, he had always been in love with Arthur. John had a chance to examine the in front of him. Arthur no longer looked weak and sick. He had returned to how he was before he caught Tuberculosis. Arthur had gained weight and was back to a healthy size. Arthur looked like he did when they were younger. John smiled as he realized how much healthier Arthur looked.

"Come on, Marston. Let's head back, I'll show you my cabin." Arthur wore a shit-eating grin as he dragged John to their Horses. John recognized Arthur's horse almost immediately, it was Boadicea. The ride back was filled with small talk. Arthur wanted to know about how John had faired after he had died. John shared every detail with Arthur, reciting his story for the second time that day. When they reached Arthur's cabin, the light had started to wane. When they got off of their horses, Arthur pulled john close and pressed a kiss to the smaller man's lips. Promising much more if the other man wanted that. With a content smile from John, they headed into the cabin. For the first time in his whole existence, John felt at total ease.


End file.
